Meadowlark Prairie Long journey home

The apology was enough to soothe Easy's ruffled feathers — especially since his friend had given similar admonishment. Still, she had a feeling that he was the sort of wolf she'd end up butting heads with, if they spent any amount of time together.

The black bear was already queuing up a list of packs they might visit, her own son's at the top of the list, when the male introduced himself. Spruce was innocent enough — didn't she have a cousin named Spruce? — but when his surname was spoken, she felt her heart stand still. Her features went slack, all except for the bright burn of her eyes, and she took a step closer to the young man to search his face for clues.

She found them there.

"Where is the rest of your family, Spruce?" she asked, almost conversationally. But there was a breathless quality to the words, and a desperate sort of urgency in her eyes. She hoped for him to say, Back at home! We're all fine — but even if he did not, his existence alone was enough cause for celebration.